1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to providing multimedia content and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for providing multimedia content, which, through a mood code corresponding to a quantity ratio of the type of content input by a user, abstracts similar mood-content registered by a user or lists of the content, and provides it to the user.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of data compression and network technologies has enabled users to receive multimedia content such as music files over the Internet.
A multimedia content providing system may include a multimedia content providing device and a user terminal. When this is the case, the multimedia content providing device provides multimedia content corresponding to a keyword received by the user terminal or multimedia content recommended by reference to other information.
FIG. 1 is a concept view that shows multimedia content provided using a related art search method.
A multimedia content providing device 11 may have various types of multimedia content; particularly, the multimedia content providing device 11, providing music files, may have music files 15 classified by groups such as title, artist, lyric, release date, and number of downloads.
When a user inputs a keyword to the user terminal 12, the multimedia content providing device 11 receives the input keyword, and then searches for music files corresponding to the keyword. The multimedia content providing device 11 transmits the abstracted music files based on a search result or a list of the music files to the user terminal 12.
Accordingly, a user can receive his/her favorite music files via the user terminal 12.
Also, a user may directly search for music files by connecting to database of the multimedia content providing device 11 via the user terminal.
FIG. 2 is a concept view that shows multimedia content provided by a related recommendation method.
A multimedia content providing device 21 may recommend music files 25 by checking how many times a user has accessed each music file based on the keyword and search message received by the user terminal 22, and checking the renewed multimedia content.
The recommended music files 25 include recommended songs, new songs, and new albums. After connecting to the multimedia content providing device 21 via the user terminal 22, a user may select and receive one or more of the recommended music files 25.
The multimedia content providing device 21 may provide multimedia contents to a user through a search method or a recommendation method.
However, the multimedia content provided by a search may be provided only when a user has information on his/her favorite music files. If a user does not have information on his/her favorite music files, the multimedia content providing device 11 cannot provide music files.
The multimedia content provided using the recommendation method have a drawback in that the same music files are provided to all users regardless of preference. Accordingly, a user may not receive desired music files when using the recommendation type method.
Korean Unexamined Patent 2003-0059503 discloses a custom service method, which stores information on features of music files in database by abstracting features of various music files prepared for an online music service, searches for music files having a feature information value that is very similar to a feature information value of a user's favorite music, which is generated by collecting and analyzing information on features of music files desired by user, and provides the found music files.
However, the Korean Unexamined Patent 2003-0059503 relates to providing a music file corresponding to a feature information value given by a user, which is the same as the method of classifying music files by groups such as title, artist, lyrics, release date, and number of downloads.